Veracruz

 

(vāräkrūs') [Span.,=true cross], officially Veracruz Llave (vāräkrūs' yä'bā) , state (1990 pop. 6,228,239), 27,759 sq mi (71,896 sq km), E central Mexico. The capital is Xalapa. Stretching c.430 mi (690 km) along the Gulf of Mexico and reaching from 30 to 100 mi (48–161 km) inland, Veracruz rises from a tropical coastal plain into the temperate valleys and highlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental. The state shares with neighboring Puebla the highest peak in Mexico, Citlaltépetl. Most of central Veracruz is mountainous. The few navigable rivers are the Coatzacoalcos, Papáloapan, Pánuco, and Tamesí. Abundant rainfall and extremely fertile soil permit the cultivation of numerous crops. The state is a leading national producer of coffee, sugarcane, corn, and rice, and produces a wide variety of other crops. Cattle raising is practiced in the semitropical and temperate zones. From the tropical forests come dyewoods and hardwoods, chicle, and rubber, and in the colder regions maguey, various cacti, and coniferous forests are found. The state's principal natural resource and dominant industry is oil. The mountains contain relatively unexploited deposits of gold, silver, iron, and coal. Veracruz ranks high in the production of foods and beverages, as well as chemical manufacturing and metalworking. In ancient times the area was a hub of pre-Columbian civilizations, including the Olmecs, the Huastecs, and the Remojadas. Some groups were tributary to the Aztecs by the time Juan de Grijalva explored the coast in 1518. Veracruz became a state in 1824. Major cities, besides the capital, include Veracruz, Córdoba, and Coatzacoalcos.

Veracruz is the name of both a state in Mexico and that state's largest city. This article is about the state. For the city, see Veracruz, Veracruz. For other uses, see Veracruz (disambiguation).

Veracruz
Flag Coat of arms
Location within Mexico
Country	Mexico
Capital	Xalapa
Municipalities	212
Largest City	Veracruz
Government
- Governor	Fidel Herrera Beltrán (PRI)
- Federal Deputies	PRI: 6 PAN: 11 PRD: 2 Convergencia: 2
- Federal Senators	PRD: 1 PAN: 1 Convergencia: 1
Area Ranked 11th
- State	km²  ( sq mi)
Population (2005)
- State	{{formatnum:7,110,214 (Ranked 3rd)}}
HDI (2004)	0.7457 - medium Ranked 28th
ISO 3166-2	MX-VER
Postal abbr.	Ver.

The state of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave is one of the 31 states that constitute Mexico.

Location

It is located in the east central part of the country, between 17°10' and 22°38' North and between 93°55' and 98°38' West. It has a mainland area of  square kilometers ( sq mi) and includes several islands in the Gulf of Mexico totalling another  square kilometers ( sq mi).

Veracruz borders the states of Tamaulipas to the north, Oaxaca and Chiapas to the south, Tabasco to the southeast, Puebla, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosi to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east.

On the coastal plains and throughout most of the state, the climate is hot and humid. On the foothills of the mountains, the climate is cool and humid. The climate only becomes cold in the mountain regions, where it also rains copiously. Veracruz is occasionally affected by hurricanes from June to October.

This state has a tropical climate and impressive natural scenery, such as the Citlatapetl Volcano, or Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak in the nation. You’ll also see picturesque cities and towns that have preserved their local architecture. Along the coast you can visit the Costa Esmeralda, a  kilometers ( mi) beach strip north of the port, amd the archaeological zone of El Tajin, which also was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Its capital is Xalapa, located in the central western part of the state. With more than 7 million inhabitants, the state of Veracruz is the third most populous in the nation, after the Federal District and the state of México.

History

Veracruz was the first location where Hernan Cortez and the Spanish arrived from the Caribbean. There is a mixture of Spanish, African, Aztec, and Portuguese descendants. Its formal name is Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave in honor of General Ignacio de la Llave, who died in 1863 after wounds received during the French invasion of Puebla, Mexico. The official title of this Mexican state was Veracruz-Llave from 1863 to 2004.

In 1865, rather than surrendering to American forces, Major General Sterling Price of the Confederate States of America, Missouri's highest ranking military officer led his army to Mexico where he became leader of a colony of Confederate exiles at Carlota in the state of Veracruz.

Vegetation

• Banana
• Pitaya
• Mango
• Guava
• Melons
• Guanabana
• Lemons
• Oranges
• Mandarin orange
• Plums
• Jicama

Economy

Despite its relative importance as the oldest established state in post-columbian Mexico, having the third largest population in Mexico (after Mexico state and the Federal District), and being the origin, processing, and transport hub for much of the country's oil reserves, Veracruz is one of the poorest states in the country.^{[citation needed]} Relative to the industrious northern and central states, Veracruz has few job opportunities for the educated middle class. This is specially true outside of the small Veracruz-Boca del Rio and Coatzacalcos areas. While quality basic education through the high school level is provided by the state, the main university lacks experienced faculty (very few have doctorate or postgraduate degrees), and has almost no research infrastructure. Young capable professionals usually migrate to out-of-state industrial hubs such as Mexico City, Toluca, or Monterrey, to find jobs.^{[citation needed]}

Spanish

People from some cities in Veracruz and Tabasco have a particular accent, especially in Veracruz City and its surroundings. This accent is easily identified when people skip the s sound when they speak. This is due to heavy Cuban influence brought by the Spanish Conquistadores when first arriving to Mexico from the Caribbean.

Municipalities

The state of Veracruz is subdivided into 212 municipalities (municipios). See municipalities of Veracruz.

Major communities

• Acayucan
• Actópan
• Camarón de Tejeda
• Catemaco
• Coatepec
• Coatzacoalcos
• Córdoba
• Martínez de la Torre
• Minatitlán
• Orizaba
• Papantla (Papantla de Olarte)
• Poza Rica (Poza Rica de Hidalgo)
• San Andrés Tuxtla
• Tuxpan (Túxpam/Túxpam de Rodríguez Cano)
• Veracruz
• Xalapa (Xalapa-Enríquez)

Climate

Climate chart for Veracruz
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
43   26 19	18   28 19	17   30 21	19   32 23	48   33 25	263   32 25	347   32 24	359   32 24	436   32 24	183   30 23	96   29 22	67   27 20
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: [1]

References

External links

• (Spanish) Turismo En Veracruz
• (Spanish) Veracruz State government
• (Spanish) Veracruz Gallery
• (Spanish) museum of the city
• (Spanish) Facultad de Pedagogia

States of Mexico
Aguascalientes · Baja California · Baja California Sur · Campeche · Chiapas · Chihuahua · Coahuila · Colima · Durango · Distrito Federal · Guanajuato · Guerrero · Hidalgo · Jalisco · México · Michoacán · Morelos · Nayarit · Nuevo León · Oaxaca · Puebla · Querétaro · Quintana Roo · San Luis Potosí · Sinaloa · Sonora · Tabasco · Tamaulipas · Tlaxcala · Veracruz · Yucatán · Zacatecas

Coordinates: 19°26′05″N, 96°22′59″Wpms:Veracruz

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